Tories launch consumer information website

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Tories launch consumer information website

By the founding editor | Mon 2nd October 2006 - 3:08 pm

Chris Grayling has just announced http://www.howgreenisyourcar.co.uk/

It looks very swanky, but is as useful as a chocolate teapot to people with disabilities as it completely ignores accessibility standards.

Read more by the founding editor or more about chris grayling.
This entry was posted in Online politics.

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12 Comments

The Morningstar 2nd Oct '06 - 5:45pm

As a disabled person who drives I wonder what your point is, have you ever looked at the Motability website?

If you had a clue what you were talking about you would know that the Motability site already lists the CO2 levels for each car.

I have to ask why you think this site needs to include accessibility standards? It’s about how green cars are, not how disabled friendly they are, or don’t you think the disabled can work that out for themselves when they can already get the information from Motability.
Rob Fenwick 2nd Oct '06 - 5:49pm

I come from the point of view that if a person builds a website, they shouldn’t think it’s OK to prevent people with disabilities using it just because someone else is doing something broadly similar and have gone to the trouble that this developer clearly couldn’t be bothered to / wasn’t asked to go to.

Your argument is like saying that the Guardian & Telegraph shouldn’t bother catering for the disabled, because disabled people could get their news from BBC News online instead.

I don’t think it’s appropriate for a political party to comission a big website and leave accessibility out of the brief – you may as well just shove two fingers up to the disabled and be done with it…
The Morningstar 2nd Oct '06 - 5:57pm

ok, I have to ask, are you disabled? or are you just using the disabled as a convenient club to beat the Conservative party?
Rob Fenwick 2nd Oct '06 - 6:01pm

As it happens, yes, I have a disability (hard of hearing, use a hearing aid), but this: “using the disabled as a convenient club to beat the Conservative party” is a ridiculous and over-emotional misrepresentation of what I said. I’m pointing out that the Conservatives are launching new websites that put style and ‘funk’ over usability. This latest one makes no attempt at all to cater for disabled users. I think it’s perfectly fair to point that out.
The Morningstar 2nd Oct '06 - 6:15pm

No it’s not an over-emotional representation of what you said, the website is called “how green is your car”, it does exactly what it says it’s supposed to.

It’s not called “how green is your car and is it suitable for the disabled”, if it was then I would expect that it would speak about disabled access to the cars listed. You are using the disabled to attack the Conservatives on a complete non-issue, a straw man, just as your comment to me about being an over-emotional response is condescending.

If you’d read the Motability website, which I suspect you haven’t done, it states that you should try different cars to see how accessible they are as everyones disability is different and everyones access requirements are different.

If Motability doesn’t talk about how accessible cars are (and after all they probably know more than most), why should the Conservatives?

Perhaps because they aren’t as consescending to the disabled.
Paul Griffiths 2nd Oct '06 - 6:39pm

Er, you know MorningStar, I’m pretty sure that Rob is referring to the accessibility of the website itself, not the cars.
Rob Fenwick 2nd Oct '06 - 7:17pm

Indeed I am – sounds like a case of crossed wires!
nigelashton 2nd Oct '06 - 7:30pm

It was obvious to me that Rob was talking about accessability of the web site, not of the cars. I think Morningstar was just looking for something to whinge about.
Rob Fenwick 2nd Oct '06 - 7:35pm

I can understand how the original post could be misunderstood – and to some extent can see how my subsequent comments could be misunderstood. A lesson in being more precise for me!
The Morningstar 2nd Oct '06 - 7:42pm

I apologise, the way I read the post it seemed to talk about accesibility to cars. I will add an apology to my blog.
steveguy 3rd Oct '06 - 9:29pm

The site, like webcameron, is also inaccesible to us Linux users. This is because these sites don’t support Flash Player 7 – and since Adobe took over Macromedia they seem to have ignored Linux users! Flash has not yet been released on Linux with no word as to when we will get it. Other websites successfully stream video to Flash 7 players though.
steveguy 3rd Oct '06 - 9:30pm

Sorry, I should have said Flash 8 has not yet been released on Linux. Flash 7 is what we have